Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-26
NO GREAT CRIMINALS.
SOME ROMANTIC IDEAS DISPElLeD
By AN EXPERIENCED CROOK"
'Profession,,ls'' Only q Commonplace
Crowd After All-Their Number. Their
Prsfits and Their skill All ESasger-
ated-A Transparent Trick.

sted-A Transparent Trick.
have been reading and suppose every
body has been reaiing, too, about great
criminals in the newspapers. The boastfui-
ness Of the detective AMI the imagination OF
the reporter have combined To make some
interesting reading, but If YOU recall what
YOU have read YOU will find that very few
great criminals have been told about. and,
apart from murders. very few great crimes
have been committed. One or two pro
fessional forgers, half score Of burglars,
cluster of twenty five confidence men, AMI
the whole list Is exhausted The fact Is there
is no such army OF criminals fertile of eN-
pedient, ready Of device, watchfGl of every
chance to break in ami steal. as the police
would have YOU believe.
WAS looking over the criminal list the
other day of the convicted professionals con-
fined in New York state. They were numer-
Gus enough, but their crimes were contempti-
blv small To make your Niiocg, you must
have first your grea: criminal and his great
crime. The American Nidocq makes himself,
with these two essentials left ont; and having
opportunity to talk with one Of the alleged
great criminals me confirmed my belief i'll
Iilt ti ihtNS ohh
clever rascals With no greater effort than re-
vealing his own STUPIDITY. hunted up
another, "A professional who has repeated his
offenses sufficiently to enti;ie him to any
other distinction than that Of an honest
man. Iwouid mention that he wears stripes
now, except that il might draw from the
value of his statements in the minds of some
who are too easily pre- ejUdiced. Anyway he Is
IA better authority than the police, whose
vanity in their own capacity mny be a
proper pride, but leads to some mighty tall
lying.
The fact is that professional thieves and
rogucS are not numerous i'll any locality, and
if crime were the sole source Of support for
the few hundreds who are classed most Of
them would be hungry many times very
Year Men who steal whenever they get a
chance always have some other occupation,
and it is "A fact that the legitimate one Is more
profitable than tie iilegitlmat. one i'll nine
cases out of ten" Thus began my inform
ant, Wesley Allen, tie pickf"cket
But i'll this city there is vast army OF
professional criminals" said, men who are
classified and whose Industries have special
forms, implying cunning and originality"
NV dear sir. you have been reading the
newspapers or talking 10 detectives. There
isn't "A doz.n. II really clever men-if men
with a uuIiirum Of brains that belong u
clever people to devote their talents Il
royuery society couldn't exist The methods
employed by thieves, for example, TO attain
their ends look very cunning and well
planned TO one to whom they are first re,
veaied. But take any one Of them and ex.
:. ,,l, will lax aiptSy Is
sneak thief wants to get into the till Of a
corner grocery. His accomplice comes with
a tape line and bagins to measure the side
wal in front of the door. or To measure the
wall. or comes in a wagon and begins tc
throw out n lot Of boxes, The grocer step:
out to inquir.; is held in conversation, askej
to hold the end Of the measure or pass bach
the boxes: the sneak Is in and away, and th.
trick is off. A saloon keeper is known t,
keep a pockethook stuffed with money i'll tn,
inner pocket Of his vest. Tn. pickpccke
knows it Is a difficult place TO touch. Two
accompices come i'll when he is alone, boti
OF them laughing heartlly-"ne with q tap
measure Well, that was "A dead loss for me,
says one Set 'em up They laugh, ask tin
saloon keeper TO drink and explain that they
were betting on the Srth of a neighbor. Th'
saloon keeper becomes Interested: the NOR
50 as rounds are being called aud then tn
loser wants to get even. bottle OF wine /
s.aked and the victim asked to measure, tn
new bet being on his girth. Objection /
taken TO the vest: of it comes and the sneal
thief-a third paIty-snon has the lesther."
Now, that's arttul. certainly" said |.
NO such u ting; 1t Is most Transparent
and simple. Ii couldn't sacceed il it wer
not that the victim is a fool. But these ar
exceptional cases of such good planning a
crooks can do But, after all, suppose a maj
of brains-reil bra rs. such aS you know
plenty of-were to devote himself to tn
planning of ways to get other peoples none,
without an equivalent, and went at it witt
the energy that men give to the practice 0
their profession or to the pursuits of com
merce where would such schemes as this be
Nowhere You hear Of a great burglary
The news Spapers which report it dwell upol
the fact that it had been carefully planne,
and that the LouSe had been plotted. for
diagram which the rasculS had LEFT in thei
fight was found What's 10 hinder any maj
from learning every room and every door il
New York cityi There's the builder's plans
the insurance companies plots and the build
ing departments open files. a little watch
ing and good deal of guessing makes up tn
rest of the burglars knowledge. OF course
his tools are Of the finest workmanship
/ Rats! The chances are ten 70 one that the
consist Of n bar of iron, which being carrie,
by a burglar is called jimmy slar
lantern, a copper hammer. a Chlsel and "A flas
/ of powder and IA handkerchief with holes in
to see through for Il mask"
But there are cases where men have gon
further than make Il few hasty preparations
have hired al joining stores and tunuelei an,
burrowed into hanks ami vaults with iniinit
patience and labor
Bah! How manyi You say ten and
say one Whatever Won say | will allow I